Large police presence kept Rockville Centre from boiling over

"The parade was very orderly, and even the after-parade event at night in our downtown business district was orderly," said Police Commissioner Charles Gennario, who attributed the relative peace last Saturday to a heavy police presence that included 30 officers on foot and what he described as the "good cooperation" his department received from village bar owners.

"Although we did respond to about 20 disturbances, none of them became large because of the police presence," Gennario said. "We were able to quell the disturbances because of the police personnel."

Nevertheless, Gennario said, police made six arrests and issued more than 50 appearance tickets. All of the arrests — two on charges of felony assault, two for alleged narcotics violations and one each on charges of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct — occurred between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m., well after the annual St. Patrick's parade had ended at 2 that afternoon.

Although the vast majority of appearance tickets were issued during the nighttime hours, Gennario said that some parade attendees were ticketed and charged with vendor and open-container violations.

"Our parade is over at 2 p.m.," said Parade Committee Co-Chair Ann Marie Myatt, "and as far as any problems that might occur at any of the establishments in town, they usually occur after the midnight hour, and by that time the parade people have gone home."

Mayor Mary Bossart echoed Myatt's sentiments. "The fact that there's one event, which is the parade, which is really quite well-ordered and runs on a very timely basis, and there are people who come to the village afterwards and frequent private establishments is a different matter," Bossart said. "The later it gets, the more difficult the situation can become. However, it's the New York State Liquor Authority that permits these establishments to be open until 4 a.m. We, as a locality, have no control over that."

Nine people needed medical attention on Saturday, according to Gennario, for conditions ranging from minor injuries and cuts to an assault victim who was thrown through a plate-glass window and sustained a severe arm injury.

Volunteer firefighters and Auxiliary Police volunteers also helped a great deal, according to Gennario. "The Auxiliary Police put in a tremendous number of hours to supplement our patrol forces," he said.

Gennario added that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had patrols at the Rockville Centre Long Island Rail Road station throughout the night. "They were very responsive and that helped us," he said.

Comments about this story? RVCeditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.